Machine for forging horseshoe nails



(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. ROSS. MACHINE FOR PORGING HORSESHOB NAILS. N0. 277,063. Patented May 8,1883.

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. R. ROSS. MACHINE FOR PORGING HORSESHOE NAILS.

Patented May 8, 1883.

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Wil 203365 N. PETERS. Fhalo'liihographlr. Walhingion, D. C,

(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

R. ROSS. MACHINE FOR FORGING HORSESHOE'NAILS.

No. 277,063. Patented May 8,1883.

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(ModeL) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

R. ROSS.

MACHINE FOR FORGING HORSESHOE NAILS. No. 277.063. Patented May 8,1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT ROSS, OF VERGENNES, VERMONT.

MACHINE FO R FORGING HORSESHOE-NAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 277,063, dated May 8, 1883.

Application filed September 22, 1881. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoBERT Ross, of Vergennes, in the county of Addison and'State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Forging Nails, of which the following is a specification;

The present invention relates to that class of machines in which the nails are forged from heated rods or bars of iron; and itconsistsin the construction, arrangement, and combination of various devices and mechanisms composing the machine, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

The several mechanisms and their respective devices, constituting a machine embodying the present invention, are conveniently described under the following heads or divisions, viz: first, the gaging mechanism, by which the. portion of the rod which is to be subjected to the action of the forging mechanism is accuratelyaletermined; second, the gripping mechanism, by which the rod, when it has been gaged, is clamped in position during the forging and cutting otf of the nail, and is then released for regaging; third, the forging mechanism, by which the gaged end of the rod is drawn out and by repeated rolling and hammering to the desired form fora nail or nail-blank; fourth, the straightening mechanism, by which the rod which has been bent or upset. by theforging is straightened and restored to substantially its original size; fifth, the shifting mechanism, by which the position of the rod is changed, first, from the gage to the forging-anvil; second, from the centerot'the forging-anvil against the face of the side anvil or die, it being at the same time slightly lifted up from the forginganvil; and, third, from the forging devices to the cutting-off mechanism; sixth, the cuttingoif mechanism, by which the nail-blank is severed near its front, and also from the rod back of its head, and is prepared to be finished up.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, (four sheets,) in which Figure l is a top view of a machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, the corner of the frame and a section of the geared wheel being removed along the lineaxarot' Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sec tion along the line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section along the line 2 z of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a plan or top view illustrating the the swinging anvil or die. Fig. 6 is a cross-section along theline w w ofFig. 1, the grooved camwheel which actuates the cutters being shown superimposed upon the section in dotted lines. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the upper cutter-stock, its rock-shaft, and its cam-connecting arm. Fig. Sis a section of the upper cutter-stock, with the cutters in position. Fig. 8 is a section through the liner cof Fig. 6, showingthe adjustment of the lower cutters. Fig. 9 is a view showing the gaging mechanism and parts ofthe straightening andgrippingmechanisms. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the gage, its rock- Shaft and cam-connection, also a section of the rock-shaft which operates the straighteningframe and its cam-connection. Fig. 11 is a detailed view of the adjustable connection of the rock-shaft of the gage and its cam-arm. Fig. 12 is a sectional view along the line on of Fig. 5, showing parts of the shifting and cutting mechanisms and the shaft of the swinging anvil and its attachments. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the swinging anvil and forging-hammer, with the rod and forged nail in position, the dotted linesshowing the position when the nail is over the cutters. Fig. 14 is a front elevation of the swinging frame carrying the straightening and gripping devices.

In the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine,of square or rectangular shape in plan view, mounted u'pon proper supports, and provided with a strong central crossbeam, A, to which several of the operative parts of the machine are attached.

B is the main shaft or spindle, which carries and operates the revolving forging-roller and the reciprocating forging-hammer, and is mounted in bearingsone in an upright standard, B, secured to one end of the frame A, and the other in the standardO, which is forked in its lower partto permit the hammer to reciprocate through it, and is secured in position to the end of the cross-bar A and to the rear of the frame A.

G is a secondary spindle journaled in bearings attached to the frame A, and carrying the cam-wheels which actuate the gaging, gripping, straightening, shifting, and cutting-off mechanisms.

The spindles B and O are connected by gears a, b, c, and d, so constructed and-arranged that F, while its other or free end, provided with a nail-rod, and thus gage it relatively to the forging mechanism, and will then fall down to permit the swinging anvil or die to take its position during the forging operation. The gage is rigidly but adjustably secured to a rock-shaft, F, operated by an arm, f, one of whose ends is adjustably secured to theshaft friction-rolhf, engages with and is moved by the cam-groove g in the-side of a wheel, G, secured to the spindle O. The adjustable connection of the gage E to-the shaft F is to vary the length of the rod relatively to the forging devices when it is desired to make nails of varying lengths, or when the rods vary in size,

so that greater or less length of rod is required for nails of the same length. The means for this adjustment are shown in Fig. 10, in which a is a screw fixed in a projection on the shaft and bears against the rear end of the gage, and b a set-screw passing through a longitudinal slot of sufficient length for the desired adjustment. 0 is the gage-support secured to the shaft F. It is at once seen that by loosening the screws the gage can be moved longitudinally as desired, and then set in posimen, while the screw a prevents any backward movement of the gage from blows of the rod against the end 6. The adjustable connection of the arm f to its shaft F is for the purpose of varying the vertical throw of the gage E, and is accomplished by means shown in Figs. 10 and 11, in which d is the enlarged end of the arm f, provided with an opening, 0, into which two screws project from opposite directions, the arm being secured to the shaft by means of a set-screw, it. h is a projection cast upon the shaft F, whose hooked end i is entered into the opening 0 between the ends of the two screws. It is seen that by loosening the set-screw h and varying the position of the end tin the opening 0 by turning the screws in opposite directions the set of the shaft F in relation to the arm f can be varied, and the upward throw of the gage can be increased or diminished asrequired.

Second. The gripping mechanism consists 0 an edged piece, I, remov ably secured to a spring, j, mounted upon a supplemental rockframe secured to the front of the main frame A. The spring carrying the grip, is moved upward sufficiently to release the clamped nail-rod by means of the upward movement of a rod,j-, whose upper end rests beneath the spring, and whose lowerend is connected to an arm or projection, 76, on a shaft, 41, which is rocked by a cam, is, on the periphery of a wheel, J, through the connecting-arm 1, whose free end is provided with a friction-roll. The elasticity of the springj grips and clamps the nail-rod during the operation of forging and cutting off the nail,and the upward movement of the rod j lifts the grip I and leaves the nail-rod free to be pushed forward till its end strikes against the upturned end of the gage E. The lift of the grip I'may be regulated by means of a bolt, l,pas sing upward through the arm 70, in the upper end of which is a socket which receives the lower end of the rod j and permits it to be swung backward with the frame H. This grippingmechanism is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, and 14 of the drawings.

Third. The forging mechanism consists of a stationary anvil, K, a revolving roller, L, a reciprocating hammer, M, and a swinging anvil or die, N, so shaped upon their operative faces as to give the desired form to the nail, together with the various devices by which they are actuated. The anvil K (seen in Fig.4. in crosssection and in Fig.6 in side elevation) is a long rectangular piece of steel firinl y secured in an upright position in a groovei'ormed in the cross-beam of the machine, and held in place by a binding-strap or clamping-piece, which can be readily loosened for the purpose of adjusting or removing the anvil. The upper end orworking-face of this anvil is curved substantially to conform to the are described by the rollerL in its passage over it. The roller L (shown in Figs. 4 and 12) is mounted in the roller-stock O, which is securely attached to ,or preferably forged with, the spindle B, and is outside of and overhangs the adjacent spindle-bearing, so that the mechanism which opcrates to sever the forged nails from the rod can belocated as near as possible to the forging mechanism, of which the roller L is a part. By locating the cutters beyond the end of the main shalt or roller-spindle B and in the general direction of its length, they can 7 be brought very .near'to the forging devices, and by removing the die or anvil N, as hereinafter explained, an unobstructed path is left between the forging and cutting devices, and only a slight movement is required to shift the work from the roller L and anvil K to the cutters k and Z and from the cutters back to the forging mechanism. The roller is mounted in a frame, 0 which is secured to the stock 0 by a screw and nut on the end of the shank d, which passes through the stock, and is so located in relation to the anvil that it will sweep over and slightly above its faceat each revolution of the spindle B. The hammer M (shown in section in Fig. 4 and in plan in Fig. 13) is a rectangular piece of steel mounted in the upper end of a stock, P, and arranged to reciprocate over the face of the anvil K during each revolution of the spindle B. The'stock l is hung, near its lower end, to ears or hangers Q Q by means of pivotal bearings 01 n, on which it can readily swing,

I and it is operated by a connecting-rod, R, at-

tached at its upper end to an eccentric, n, on the. spindle B, and'at its lower end to the lower end of the stock]? by means of a ball-and-socket connection, e as shown in Fig. 4. The rise and fall of the rod R by the eccentric a, when connected, as described, with the stock P,

swings the stock upon its bearings and causes the hammer M to reciprocate over the face of the anvil K at each revolution of the spindle. As shown in Fig. 3, an opening, 0, is formed through the rod R, below the eccentric-strap and opposite the hammer, through which the hammer can be readily removed or adjusted by loosening the binding-strap m,which clamps the hammer to its stock by lneans of the screwbolts m m. The swinging anvil or die N (shown in Figs. 1, 5, 12, and 13) is mounted in one end of a stock, S, secured to and between two brackets, 0 and 0, by a screwbolt, 19, hushed in the bracketsand passing through the shaft 19 of the stock S, and around which bolt the stock can readily turn. On either side of the shaft of the stock are projecting arms provided with friction-rolls-q and g, which are brought in contact with their respective cams r and r on the wheel T during its revolution, and by which contact the anvil N is swung into position alongside of the anvil K, and afterward swung out of position to allow the cutters and gage to operate as follows: When the roll q rides up on the cam r, where it remains.

during the forging, the roll (1 meanwhile runs in the depression of its cam, theanvil is swung out of position by the roll q riding up on the cam 7, while the cam 'q is dropped into its depression. Instead of the shocks of the hammer. being received upon the cams ofthe wheel T, a removable brace, U, (shown in Fig. 1,) is arranged to be thrown behind the anvil N and receive the shocks. This brace is conveniently pivoted to the frame A, and is thrown into position by a spring, 8, and is removed and held out. of position by a cam, s, on the periphery ofwheel Y, with which itis connected by a roller arm, t.

Fourth. Thestraighteningmechanism(shown in Figs. 1, 2, 10, and 14) consists of a swinging supplemental frame, H, hung in front of the machine in pivotal hearings a and held in position against the frame Aby a spring, b and is swungoutward against the spring I) by the contact of the roller-arm c with a cam, 01*, on the periphery of the wheel G. The straightening operation is as follows: At the instant the nail is clamped between the anvil N and the hammer M by its last blow, the opposite end of the nail-rod being held fast by the grip I,

the roller-arm mounts the cam (1 and the frame H is slightly but suddenly swungbackward, whereby the nail-rod is straightenedthat is, any bend or upset given it during the forging operation is removed. The extent of the forward swing of the frame. H may be regulated by an adjusting-screw, c and the time of the swing, which must be at precisely the proper moment, can be regulated at its free end,'through which the end of the nail-rod projects. This piece WV is piy oted to a bracket or projection attached to the crossbar of the machine in such manner that it is free to swing laterally, and is hinged at If, so that it is free to slightly rise and fall during its lateral movement. This lateral swing or movement is given by the sliding of a bar, f in ways 6 6 the bar being operated by awheel, X, whose cam sides bear against friction-rolls g g on the bar, and connected to the piece W by-a rod, h attached to the sliding bar, and to the piece IV by ball-and-socket joints which permit the piece or plate to move both laterally and vertically. The vertical movement is caused by two V-sha-ped projections, (shown in Fig. 12,)lone attached to the under side of the piece W, and the other attachedto the frame of the machine, which, by their contact, cause the piece W to be lifted during its lateral movement. The sides of the wheel X in contact with the friction-rolls g of the sliding bar are ofsuch configuration that the same lateral movement will be given to the piece W during eight revolutions of the main spindle B, or during the forging of the nail, while during three revolutions its configuration is such that a greater lateral movement is given to the piece -W, for the purpose of carrying the nail and rod to the cutters, thence to the gage, and back to' the anvil and hammer. A spring, j is secured at one end to the sliding barf while its other or free end rests upon the piece W, and its action is to keep the piece W down upon its bearings during its movement.

Sixth. The cutting-off mechanism (particularly shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8) consists of two upper movable cutters, k and of two lower stationary cutters, Z The upper cutters are adjustably secured in a stock, m which is in turn secured to one end of a rock-shaft, a", worked by an arm, 0 whose free end is provided with a friction-roll, which engages with a cam-groove, t, formed in the side of a wheel, Y, whereby the movable cutters k are caused to'descend upon the stationary cutters Z in the arc of a circle, and afterward to return to their position along the same path. The shape-of the cam-groove t in the wheel Y is seen in dotted lines in Fig. 6 as superimposed upon the section. The cutters k are inserted in openings in the cutter-stock m considerably larger than the cutters themselves, especially in the direction of the length of the stock, so

' the openings in which they are inserted.

that they can be adjusted forward and back- 1 both the upper cutters, k and the lower cutward. They are held in position by means of screws 9, inserted through the side of the stock and bearing against the edge of the cutters, and which, as they are tightened, force and hold the cutters against the opposite wall of Their cutting-edges are adjusted by screws Q2, two for each cutter, one bearing upon the cutter above and'the other below the screw 11 By turning these screws (1 in opposite directions the cutter is caused to swing-or turn upon its edge screw 11 when loosened, and its cuttingedge can thus be varied at will, or within the limits permitted by the opening. The lower or stationary cutters, 1 are secured in a sliding stock, 1*, which slides in ways on the crossbeam of the machine; and they are adjusted vhorizontally as follows: The sliding stock is secured to the cross-beam by means of two screw-bolts, r passing through horizontal slots in the stock, but through holes the size of the bolts in the cross-bar, whereby the bolts are held stationary while the stock is permitted to slide past them to the extent required. The stock is moved horizontally by two screws, 5 and s, in the rear of the frame A, one of which, 8 is loose in the frame, but screwed into the end of the stock'r while the other, 8 is screwed through the frame and abuts against the end of the stock a. By tightening up the screw 8 and loosening the screw 8 the stock with its cutters, is drawn toward the rear of the machine, while by screwing up the screw 5; and loosening the screw 3 the stock is pushed in the opposite direction and the-position of both the cutters Z is changed at will, by which change, with the proper adjustment of the upper cutters, R the cutting-point for severing the nails back of their heads may be varied. The relative position of the cutters l to each other, in order that the lengths of the nails may be varied, is conveniently regulated by setting the lower point-cutter in different auxiliary stocks, which are set in the stock r These auxiliary stocks are interchangeable, are considerably wider than the widths of the cutter, are adapted to fit in a transverse groove in the stock 1, and are each provided with a ledge against which the cutter is placed, so that by using auxiliary stocks of different thicknesses the distance between the cutters l and consequently the length of the nail, can

be varied. \Vhen it is desired to give the least or the greatest distance between the cutters 1 instead of forming a groove in the auxiliary stocks, their outer'or inner edges, as the case may require, may be cut away to form a seat for the cutter, and then one side of the cutter will rest against one of the walls ot'the large groove in the stock 1' The above-described means of changing the position and the relative adjustment of the lower cutters, Z is shown in Figs. 6 and 8, one of the auxiliary stocks carrying a cutter being shown in position in the stock r, and designated byf From the above description it is seen that ters, 1 can be adjusted relatively to each other, so that they will act conjointly to cut the nails at difi'erent positions, both at their heads and points. The lower cutters are removed by loosening the clamps t by turning the holding-screws, and they may be vertically adjusted by the same means. The devices which actuate the above-described mechanisms must be accurately adjusted, so as to bring the operative parts of each mechanism into the proper positions at the proper times and in the proper order of succession. For example, the roller-stock 0 and the connecting-rod It must be so secured to the spindle B and its eccentric n that the roller L will sweep over the anvil K during the withdrawal of the hammer M, and the cam-wheels G, J, X, T, and Y must be so secured to the spindle U and the cams must be so arranged and adjusted that the operative parts which are actuated by these wheels and cams will act at the proper instant both relatively to each other and to the roller L and hammer M on the spindle B.- I

The operation of this machine in forging nails is briefly described as follows: When the grip I is lifted, the heated nail-rod is thrust forward over the shifting piece W and through the opening in its funnel-shaped nose-piece a till its forward end strikes against the end a of the gage,'when the grip will come down and clamp the rod fast until the forged nail is cut off. By the operation of the shifting mechanism the gaged end of the rod is brought over the center of the anvil Kjust before the roller L sweeps over it and draws it out, while at the same time the anvil or die N is swinging into its position by the side of the anvil K. The nail or blank is now moved by the shifting mechanism against the side of the anvil N, at the same time being slightly raised off from the face of the anvil K, and when in that position is struck by the hammer M, and thereafter, during the forging, is alternately shifted to the'center of the anvil K and against the side of the anvil N, and is alternately subjected to the compressions of the roller and the blows of the hammer, by which it is forged to the required shape and condition. The slight rise given to the nailjust before the blow of the hammer is to prevent the finning of the metal between the face of the anvil K and the under side of the ham- During the forging the heated rod is liable to become slightly bent and upset, and

' at the instant the last blow of the hammer is delivered upon each nail, and while the nail is fast clamped between the hammer and the side anvil, N, the frameH, to which the opposite end of the rod is clamped by the grip I, is slightly but suddenly thrown or jerked backward, and any bend or upset in the rod is taken out or removed, the frame H remaining in this position till the nail is cut off. On the instant the rod has been straightened the anvil N swings away, the forged nail is moved over the lower cutters, F, the upperv cutters, k swing down and cut it off both at its head and point, and the nail drops through the machine. 'lherod is then shifted toward the gage, the gage and the grip meanwhile rising, and is again gaged, and the above-described operation is repeated.

,As before stated, eleven revolutions of the main spindle B are required for each naileight for forging and three for cutting off and gaging. In practice the spindle B is speeded at about nine hundred revolutions per minute, and during that timethe machine, when tended by a skillful feeder, will easily turn out eighty forged nails.

This machine is especially adapted for forging horseshoe -nails; but by changing the shape of the working-faces of the hammer and anvils nails adapted for other uses may be formed. It is not, however, pretended that the nails will be fully finished and ready for use when they come from this machine, and although for convenience they have been called nails they might, by reason of their untinished condition, more properly be called nail-blanks, as after they have been forged into their general shape upon this machine they are to be straightened, rolled, and properly pointed by other machinery or means.

What is claimed as new is- 1. The combination, substantially as described, of forging mechanism oonsistingof the stationary anvil K, hammer M, removable die or anvil N, stationary during the forging, but capable of being removed to permit the nail to be swung to the cutters, roller L, mounted outside of the bearing of its shaft or spin dle, and cutting-off mechanism located beyond but near to the end of the roller-shaft and in the general direction of its length, whereby only a'slight movement is required to shift the I work from the forging to the cutting-01f mechanism, and vice versa.

2. The combination, substantially as described, of the upper cutters, W, and thelower cutters, Z located on one side of the forging mechanism, and a side die or anvil, N, constructed and arranged to be swung in a horizontal plane between the upper and lower cutters, to permit them to operate conjointly to sever the nail.

3. The combination, substantially as described, of the gaging mechanism and the mechanism which operates the swinging anvil or die N, whereby the gage E will be elevated while the anvil N is swung outof position and will fall before the anvil is swung back into its position.

4. The combination, substantially as described, of the shifting mechanism and the gaging mechanism, whereby as the free end of the rod is shifted or changed from the cutters toward the gage the gage rises to gage it from its end.

5. The combination, substantially as described, of a cam-wheel, X, a sliding bar, f connected to plate W, and V-shaped projections i ,whereby the freeend of the nail-rodis shifted to the anvil K, thence to the side die or anvil, N, and slightly raised, and thence alternately to the center of the anvil Kand the face of the side die, N, during the forging of the nail.

6. The combination of shifting mechanism, consisting of cam-wheel X, sliding barf and plate W, and mechanism which operates the side die or anvil, N, consisting of stock S,rollersq and q, and cams r and r on wheel T, whereby the die or anvil N is swung out ofthe way to permit the nail to be shifted to the cutters and then returned to its position by the side of the anvil K. n

7. The combination of the sotted cutter-stock m the cutters k screws p bearing against the sides of the cutters to hold them in said stock, and adjusting-screws (1 bearing upon the faces of the cutters to adjust them to the lower cutters, substantially as shown and described.

S. The combination, substantially as described, of a sliding cutter-stock, 1' and adjustingscrews 8 and 8 for the purpose of changing the position of the lower cutters, l

for varying the lengths of the nails.-

9. The cutter-stock T in combination with interchangeable auxiliary cutter-stocks f ",whereby the distance between the cutters l is regulated.

10. In combination with the wheel G, an adjustable ring carrying a cam, 61 for the purpose of imparting to and regulating the time ofthe backward throw of the frame H, said ring being in a groove in the face of said wheel, substantially as shown and described.

11. In combination with the swinging frame H, for straightening the nail-rod, and the main part of the machine, the adjusting-screw 0 as means for regulating the extent oftheforward throw of the frame H, substantially as show-n and described.

12. The combination, in the shifting mechanism of a nail-forging machine, of a pivoted piece, W. provided with a funnel-shaped guide or nose-piece at its free end, a sliding bar, f and a connecting-rod, h properly jointed to the pivoted piece and the sliding bar, substantiall y as described,whereby the desired lateral shift is given to the nail-rod for gaging, forging, and cutting off.

13. The combination, in the shifting mechanism of a nail-forging machine, of V-shaped projectionsi and the hinged and pivoted piece W, substantially as described,wherehy as said piece is swung laterally the desired upward and downward movement is given to the nail rod.

ROBERT ROSS. 

